First, Formations are a subset of Action cards. They have the red Action frame, they look just like an Action card, and have specific timing rules involved as to when you can play them. Think of them as Terrains, since they are a TYPE of Battle Action.

At its core, Legend of the Five Rings is a card game about combat. Players recruit Personalities from their deck, form them into Units and Armies, and meet their opponent’s forces on the field of Battle in order to dominate the Provinces they control. Formations are a type of Battle Action that affects how you assign your Units, and rewards a player for meeting the conditions stated on the card. They are primarily designed for military decks, and more importantly, decks that use Samurai and Bushi. While there are Formation cards that do not require either Samurai or Bushi, for the most part, they are cards that Samurai and Bushi-based decks will enjoy.

How are Formation cards played?
Formations are Battle Actions, and are played as Battle Actions. For the purposes of how they interact with the Naval ability, they work just like a Terrain (they cannot be played as the first action at a Battle during a Naval Invasion). BUT, unlike other types of Battle Actions, immediately after the controlling player plays a Formation card, he gets to play another Battle or Open Action… whether it be another card, a printed ability on the Formation card, or an ability that the Formation card grants other cards already in play.

For example: I am a Mantis player with Naval-only Personalities, declare an attack, and do not declare a Naval Invasion. I play Sneak Attack at the first battle being resolved, and then play a Formation card. Immediately after that, I play Tsuruchi Technique.

What do Formation cards look like?
There are three parts to a Formation card: the Type of Formation, how the Formation is Formed, and the Ability or Action the card grants when the Formation is met at that Battle.

Type: In the trait area, you will see either Reserve Formation, Flank Formation, or Center Formation. At this current point in time (the release of The Hidden City expansion), the three different types do not have a specific mechanical meaning, but instead serve as flavor — a way to distinguish the different types of Formations, loosely based on the mechanics of the card. Like adding the Elemental Traits (Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Void) to Shugenja, Spells, and Kihos, should the Design Team opt to expand the Formation mechanic, the different types have been built-in at the “ground floor.”

Formed: Directly underneath the trait area specifies how the Formation card is “Formed.” Formation cards have requirements that must be met in order to be played, AND ALSO for their effects to take place. For example: a Formation card may read “Formed by one Shugenja Personality and one Samurai Personality.” To play this card, you must have at least one unit lead by a Personality, and another unit lead by a Shugenja. Should the card read, “Formed by two Samurai Personalities and one Ninja Personality,” a player cannot play the card with any less than three Personalities (a single Personality could have both the Samurai and Ninja trait on them).

Ability or Action: Once the card is played, the controlling player gets the benefit or ability written on the card. Some of the Formations grant your Personalities at that battle a Battle Action ability, while others create an action that you can use independently from your Personalities at that Battle. NOTE: in order to use the abilities or actions printed on the card, the controlling player must maintain the formation. Should a player not meet the conditions required to play the Formations, then his Units are no longer “in formation” at that Battle.

Let’s look at some examples…
Now that we’ve discussed a little about what Formation cards are, I’d like to talk a little about how they’re played. Formations can be the ultimate threat, since your opponent never knows exactly which Formation you have in your hand, when your army meets the requirements (until you play it), and — most importantly — WHEN you are going to play it.

Many will play a Formation card at the first opportunity. While it makes a good deal of sense to play one toward the beginning of a Battle, you always have the option of holding off and playing it later. In some cases, the element of surprise will make or break a Battle!

For example, let’s say you’re playing the Formation Kiss of the Scorpion:

Kiss of the Scorpion Reserve Formation
Formed by two Samurai Personalities and one Ninja Personality.
When this Formation enters play, you may look at an opponent’s Fate hand. Battle: Twice this battle, bow an opposing Personality who has no attached cards, or bow one of your Personalities to bow an opposing Personality.

Here is a Formation that is full of tricks. Let’s say you’re using Yogo Towers, which grants all your Samurai the ability to bow a Follower, or a Personality with no attached Followers. Normally, you might think twice about including a Ninja or two in your mix. Now here’s an incentive! With Kiss of the Scorpion, your Ninja Personality can become a real threat a moment’s notice. A Formation like this opens up a multitude of options to you so that you can win your Battles:

• Assign your Ninja with your two other Samurai to a Battle.
• Hold off on assigning the Ninja, and move him into the Battle later.
• Playing the Formation early in the Battle, to bow a large opposing Personality right away (remember, you get to use an Action immediately after playing the Formation).
• Playing the Formation late in the Battle if you’re losing — to force your opponent to bow two of his unbowed Personalities (the first ability does not require you to bow one of your one Personalities to do so). I am sure many of you can think of more ideas on how to use this card than I could possibly hope to list in this article. But it should be clear that WHEN a Formation is played, and WHEN you decide to create the Formation, can make all the difference in the world.

As you’ve probably already deduced by now, “Movement and Send Home are King” in the Diamond Environment, and Formations make that even more so. If you are playing against a Formation, then being able to force your opponent to break a Formation can become critical to the success of a Battle. Conversely, being able to maintain a Formation, or being able to create a Formation where once there was none, adds the element of surprise needed to create a victory. While this can be very easy for some clans (Unicorn), all the clans have a body of cards at their disposal already to take advantage, or foil a Formation.

All of this adds an additional layer of depth and strategy to the game without creating detailed, hard-to-explain rules. Combat becomes more strategic, and deck composition — as well as how Battles are executed — rewards players who are able to implement Formations and take advantage of the benefits they offer.

Let’s look at one more example of how a simple Formation mechanic can greatly expand the options you will have in your games:

Iron Pillar Center Formation Formed by two Samurai or Bushi Personalities, each with a Follower or Armor. Reaction: Before a Personality in your army is destroyed, bow one of your Followers in this battle to negate the destruction.

This is the type of Formation that can go into a multitude of decktypes, and can be used both defensively or offensively. It can be played just before you create a duel —thereby ensuring you do not lose a Personality — or it can be played before you launch some Retribution. The possibilities are limitless.

So that about wraps up my intro to Formations. I will try my best to field questions and responses throughout the week. Next week, I will talk about the large number of Nezumi in The Hidden City, and discuss some of the emerging themes you can expect to see.

Some Really Really Basic FAQ

How many Formations can we expect to see in The Hidden City?
The initial offering is about a dozen. The majority of them will have requirements that almost every clan can fulfil (the Kiss of the Scorpion in the example above is one of the few Formations in this set that requires a Personality type that few clans have, the rest have MUCH broader requirements).

Can Kyuden Ikoma cancel a Formation?
Yes, Formations are a type of Battle Action.

If my Formation is broken during Battle, can I still use the card’s effects?
No, not until you have “reformed” the Formation.

If I play a Formation at a Battle, and move all of my units to another Battle, does the Formation move with it?
No, the Formation stays at the current Battle until its Resolution.

Are there other card in The Hidden City expansion that play off of Formations?
Yes, a couple. There are some cards that trigger once a Formation is in play at the Battle they are in.

Will be printing more Formations in future expansions?
Yes, we are planning to expand Formations in future sets. It has the possibility of becoming a staple, like Terrains.

Can I play a Formation during an Ambush?
Yes, provided you can Form those specific units within that Battle (good luck!).

Can I have more than one Formation in play at a Battle?
Good question! I don’t know! I forgot to ask Jeff during lunch today, and just thought of the question a moment ago. I am sure he will expound upon Formations in the weeks to come, and answer all the rulings questions that spring to mind that I cannot think of in this premise.